Divorce firm ads accused of urging couples to split up

by STEVE DOUGHTY, Daily Mail

Posters advertising the services of divorce lawyers which call on unhappy husbands to 'ditch the bitch' were condemned by senior legal figures last night.

The company behind the advertising campaign, which is directed at finding wealthy clients for divorce lawyers in the City of London, was accused of encouraging divorce and provoking expensive and unwanted legal action.

The posters appear to herald a new and aggressive wave of touting for business from the legal profession.

They are a sign of a general relaxation of curbs on advertising by the Law Society, the professional body representing solicitors, which has already prompted a wave of so-called 'if there's blame, there's a claim' adverts on television.

The society is also now considering allowing solicitors to employ cold-calling techniques traditionally used by salesmen at double glazing companies.

In the posters, the slogan 'ditch the bitch' is accompanied by a picture of an upmarket leather travel bag.

A second poster, aimed at women, with the slogan 'all men are bastards,' features a woman dressed only in her underwear, face down on the bed.

The campaign was condemned by leading divorce lawyers anxious to maintain the status of their profession.

William Longrigg, of the firm Charles Russell, which handled the divorces of Princess Diana's parents - Earl Spencer and Frances Shand-Kydd - and Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles, said: 'If lawyers continue to go down this route they are going to get into deep trouble - acting like it's a street fight is complete anathema to the courts.

'This is the language of confrontation and we can never condone that. It is outrageous that they should be encouraging people to get divorced.

'We are there to help our clients through a difficult period and that includes trying to see if there is any chance of saving the marriage.'

Former Law Society President Martin Mears said: 'This is absolutely deplorable. When it was accepted some years ago that professionals might advertise it was inevitable that something like this would happen sooner or later.

'This is the sort of advertising you get in America. It should have been foreseen that this would happen, and the attitude of the Law Society should not be that it is prepared to tolerate it.'

Louisa Cross, of the Solicitors' Family Law Association, a body representing 5,000 divorce lawyers, said: 'This is absolutely not the sort of thing a responsible lawyer should be doing.

'Our members work to a code of practice and they agree to attempt to cool tempers and calm anger in family disputes.

'Lawyers should be looking to help couples stay together and protect their children.'

However, Henry Brookman, the Australian-born lawyer behind the campaign insisted the posters were purely humorous.

Mr Brookman, 52, who has worked in London for four years and calls his firm English and International Divorce Lawyers, said: 'I don't regard this advertising as aggressive. It is funny but it also expresses what people feel when their marriage is breaking up.

'I don't believe it is helpful for professionals to duck the feelings of anger in their clients.'

George Shaw, of advertising agency Joslin Shaw which produced the campaign, said: 'We don't think we will persuade people to divorce.'

Last night a spokesman for the Law Society declined to condemn the adverts, adding: 'Innovative advertising is not in itself offensive.

'The society's publicity code seeks to deter advertising that is in bad taste. The assessment of taste is subjective.

'Anyone who feels offended by an advert should complain to the Advertising Standards Authority or the Office for Supervision of Solicitors.'

But Robert Whelan of Family and Youth Concern said: 'It is trying to put people at loggerheads.

'A responsible campaign would encourage conciliation, but that is not in the interest of lawyers. You can save marriages even when people behave very badly, but divorce lawyers want divorces.'

He added: 'There is a joke in the U.S. that scientists have started using lawyers instead of laboratory rats.

'They get too fond of the rats and there are some things rats just won't do.